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In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday evening, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled Amazon Prime Air, a service that delivers packages via autonomous drones. With the service, Bezos said he hopes that the company will be able to deliver packages into customers hands within 30 minutes of the time they place an order. This seems like something from the Jetsons, the concept of an octocopter equipped with eight blades, built-in GPS, and a shoebox-size bin landing product right on your doorstep in less than half an hour with a push of a button! Well, the future is coming sooner than you think, as Amazon Prime Air could well be a reality by late 2015. Move over Santa, Amazon Prime Air will have us covered for the next holiday season. Tell us what you think of Amazon Prime Air? What would you order?

A year ago, Boston Dynamics uploaded a video of their quadruped robot, Cheetah, hitting speeds of 29 mph on a treadmill. Cheetah couldn’t live up to its name, but certainly faster than a human. Back then, it was plugged in and supported by a boom. Not anymore. Cheetah’s off the treadmill and out on the streets. Equipped with a roll cage, an on board engine, and a new name—meet Cheetah’s robotic cousin, WildCat! WildCat is an early model for field testing. It sports a noisy combustion on board engine, not unlike early field tests on pack robot, AlphaDog. And though its roll cage looks robust and capable of taking a fall (as it does in the video), WildCat’s handlers are keeping a leash on it. The robot’s top speed, so far, is 16 mph. But it certainly doesn’t look slow. Enabled by an articulated spine and bio-mimetic stride, its two gaits—galloping and bounding—are smooth, as is its ability to turn is quite impressive. Eventually, WildCat’s speed and maneuverability will be put to use in “emergency response, humanitarian missions, or other useful military applications.” What other kinds of applications do you see WildCat being used for? For more information about WildCat visit their website at www.BostonDynamics.com or see more awesome robot videos here.

Can robots convey compassion? Connect with humans on an emotional level like other living creatures? Well, disguising a robot as a baby seal pup is one step towards blurring those lines. Engineers in Japan have created PARO, a therapeutic robot modeled after a baby Harp seal, that displays emotional responses triggered through its heat and visual sensors for a positive psychological, physical, and social affect on its user. Like animal therapy, PARO is a great tool for recovering and mentally disabled patients to cope with trauma without the side effects of drugs or prolonged therapy. Robots mimicking human responses and emotions is the next step in treating and coping with mental illnesses while also shedding light on what makes us human.

A research group from Tokyo’s Institute of Technology have created an amphibious snake robot, that moves by twisting its individual body segments like a snake. It moves on land and glides through water with built-in wheels and paddles to propel its weight. And its flexible joints allow for easy twisting and turning, while keeping dirt and water out. This impressive robot has a multitude of uses as it can easily move through any terrain, making it an excellent search and rescue or surveillance tool. Just don’t bring it into a public pool as you might cause widespread panic lol.

How do Nat Geo cameramen and photographers capture such stunning imagery of dangerous predators and their protected babies without a scratch from their subjects? They shoot smart. Like Steve Winter for example, whose fascination with robotics and video capture gave him the idea to send one out for a close up encounter with a wild tiger. It seemed more curious and intrigued of the metal gizmo rather than seeing it as a threat, allowing for amazing candid shots. This use of technology is an excellent tool as robotic cameras go beyond the human limitations of capturing video. It allows us to see our natural world in a whole new way.

Say hello to the impressive IRIS camera control system, combining the precision of modern robotics with the reach and flexibility needed to capture not just one technical shot, but all of them. It’s the ultimate camera control system for the professional filmmaker, put the camera where you want it, when you want it, over and over again. FLEXIBLE CONFIGURATION – Multiple robot models, remote heads, linear axes, floor and ceiling mounts PRECISION AND REPEATABILITY – +/- .06 mm at maximum speed, maximum reach, maximum payload SYNCHRONIZED MOTION AND CUES – Coordinate multiple robots and external hardware to the millisecond LENS AUTOMATION – Follow focus control and nodal point calibration routines Check out Bot & Dolly for more information on the IRIS system and its smaller cousin, the SCOUT.